Pregnancy: Round 3 {36 week edition}

Here we go again. At this stage, the baby could arrive pretty much at any time (hear that, little boy? You can arrive any time. Like today, even. I know you're comfy, but I wouldn't be mad at an early birthday, ok?) Here's the update on Bowden Baby #3, at the 36 week mark (otherwise known as a FULL NINE MONTHS, when the cruel joke is that pregnancy secretly takes TEN months). 

symptoms: 
First time: Heartburn, aches and pains, trouble sleeping...
Second time: Heartburn, aches and pains, trouble sleeping... Basically the same as the last time just magnified! Sciatic nerve pain was pretty rough until around the 32 week mark (so thankful that with pregnancy nothing lasts forever!)

This time: This pregnancy thing manages to surprise me every time. It's just so full of ups and downs, and things change week to week, day to day... hour to hour. I was miiiiiisssssserable for a while (maybe around week 28?) but then something magical happened around week 32 (like the baby shifting off of my sciatic nerve), and a ton of my pain was alleviated. I was actually enjoying being pregnant for the first time in a while...and then...we got to week 35. I got a cold-turned-sinus infection, and just flat out started to run out of space and energy. And now I'm to the point where I practically need help to get out of bed in the morning (and the three times I get up during the night). When I look back on my last pregnancies, I realize it's all par for the course, but it's still hard to adjust to the constant growth and limitations to what I'm able to do. 

weight gain:
First time: 22lbs.
Second time: 33lbs.

This time: around 30 ish lbs. Maaaaaybe 35. At this point, the baby is supposed to gain around a half pound a week, so I'm good for at least two more pounds. I've always aimed for 25-35 total, but my real secret goal is to just weigh less than Dustin. We're getting dangerously close, my friends.  

cravings/aversions: 
First time: Frozen coke, grilled cheese...typical stuff I always like!
Second time: Nothing in particular.

This time: Really nothing much stands out. There's not really a particular food that I absolutely have to have, but the hunger does come on really strong now. I can go from nothing to ravenous in an instant. (ok, that might not be that different from my every day life, but I do think it's gotten at least a little bit more dramatic).

movement: 
First time: Constant wiggling!
Second time: Very active again!

This time: Lots of movement...but as of the last few days I think he's started to get a little squished, so it's not quite as dramatic as it has been. He's still managed to freak Dustin out with the occasional elbow jab, but I'm pretty much used to it all by now. 

I am loving: 

First time: Baby showers! It was so fun to hang out with so many of our friends and family and celebrate the biggest news of our lives. 
Second time: Not a lot at this stage- the perks of being big, and sore, and tired, are few and far between. But preparing for change, dreaming of the future, nesting...that's all great. 

This time: Hmmmmm....there has to be something. I totally don't want to be a debbie downer, but the end stages of pregnancy just aren't filled with an overwhelming number of joys. I do love feeling him move though, and overall, it's still mind-blowing that I'm able to make humans from scratch. The girls have also finally really started to understand that we're having a baby, so that's been fun too. Piper's gotten the idea for a while, but it's finally getting close enough that it's more real to her. And Fin was pretty oblivious, but I think at this point I'm either big enough, or she's old enough that it finally clicked for her that there's a baby on the way. (don't get me wrong, I don't think she has any clue about the actuality of becoming a big sister, so that's going to be quite the adjustment...But she at least has learned not to jump on my belly, so that's something). 

I miss: 
First time: I couldn't wait to indulge in a smorgasbord of non-pregnancy-friendly foods and drinks after the baby arrived.
Second time: Sleeping through the night. Dancing. Climbing a flight or two of stairs without being winded. Clothes that fit. Tying my own shoes. Walking- not waddling. Taking medicine without concern. Beer.

This time: I miss a lot of little things (like, all of the stuff listed above...) but mostly I miss having energy. It's hard to get up in the morning, and after a day at work I'm pretty much wiped out. I nap when the girls nap on the weekends, but even with enough sleep (wait, what's that?) I still struggle to physically keep up with the demands of two toddlers. I rely on Dustin a lot which I'm so thankful for, but I also feel guilty. I'm hopeful that after the baby comes, I'll get back to normal so things can be a bit more balanced, but I also know that the needs of a newborn are not easy, so I'm nervous that we're in it deep, and about get be in deeper.

spazzing about:
First time: I worried about leaving work for such an extended period of time. It was a little tough for me to check out, and leave all my duties with others.
Second time: Actually having a baby. Having two kids. Staying home (even temporarily) with those kids. The first time I was nervous about the unknown. This time I was nervous about the known AND unknown.  I have an idea of what's around the corner, and it's all a little daunting. 

This time: Yep- having a baby. I'm nervous about actually having the baby (not sure if the delivery part ever gets less scary, no matter how many times you do it) but after that, I'm nervous about having the baby...you know, the whole bringing him home and raising him part. I make no secret about the fact that the newborn days are hard for me (the constant feeding, and constant not sleeping, mostly), and balancing the needs of three kids is going to be a new test for sure. I'm excited about what's to come, but I can't hide the fact that I'm worried about my ability to handle it all

looking forward to: 
First time: Snuggling my baby.
Second time: Snuggling my babies, and seeing my two little girls together.

This time: Yay! A baby! I have no clue what it's going to be like to have a boy, but that's bound to be a fun adventure. The thought of three little Bowden kids to squeeze and love is a little too much for me to comprehend right now. But as much as I know it's going to be hard...I'm just as sure it's going to be awesome.

P.s. Check out the last baby boy update or read about baby #2 (we call her Fin, now) at 37 weeks.

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